Masks Off
by OnceUponALittleSong
Summary: Princess Emma sneaks out of a party, and eventually runs into a charming pirate. CS AU
1. Chapter 1

It was so quiet outside; Emma had to stand still for a moment to appreciate it. No more loud music. No more hysterical laughter.

Finally.

The party she had left behind was the twelfth birthday party of young Annabelle, the daughter of queen Aurora and king Philip. The little brat had demanded a masquerade, just like Emma had a few months ago for her eighteenth birthday. Aurora and Philip had refused at first, but according to the guards Annabelle had locked herself up in some tower until her parents had conceded.

But a spoiled princess was nothing Emma couldn't handle. It was Annabelle's attitude that was driving her mad. Ever since Emma had arrived she was told by Annabelle that Annabelle's party was going to be_ so_ much better, that Emma's dresses were ugly and that she looked more like a common peasant anyway. Naturally, Emma had decided she would rather go to the celebrations in the nearby village than watch Annabelle being smug all night. Hell, she'd rather go fight an ogre.

Her mother wouldn't let her –even though Emma knew Snow couldn't stand the little demon anymore than she could- so she had to go with the back-up plan.

She _did_ go to the party, but after half an hour of torment Emma had swapped dresses with one of her maids, promising that she would be back before the masks came off at twelve. That way she hoped Snow and David would believe that the girl with the pretty red mask and the huge red ball gown was their daughter from beginning to end.

But she didn't want to worry about that. She was free now, wearing a simple yet elegant blue dress underneath her cloak and a grey mask to hide her face. All celebrations for the princess were to be masquerades –the spoiled brat had made sure of that- and Emma felt better having it on anyway. It made sure no one would recognise her and decide to treat her like a princess after all.

She started walking and reached the village within twenty minutes. It didn't take her long to discover she had made the right decision going down hill. The town square was so much more beautiful than the ballroom; the fires were bright, the people happy and the music up beat. But it was the smell she loved most of all. The wind was coming from the sea, making the air smell salty, even though the sea was at least half a mile away.

"Poor little princess doesn't know what she's missing," she muttered to herself and laughed.

Emma was happy she blended in quite easily. Nobody seemed to notice the newcomer or if they did, they didn't care. Most young men _were_ interested in dancing with her. She did dance with some, but most just tried to kiss her or got their hands in all the wrong places. So after kicking yet another one where it would hurt most, she started to dance with some younger children and girls her age. She was incredibly happy. Free to laugh, free to behave silly. If only it could last longer.

After a while she went to find a tavern. She was pretty thirsty and it wouldn't be long before she had to head back to the castle. Back to the boredom until their visit was over. She sighed; at least her parents let her travel around in her own kingdom. But it would be weeks before they'd be back.

As Emma left the town square, slightly dispirited, a well-known uneasy feeling was soon creeping up on her. She was being followed. A quick look over her shoulder told her one of the boys she had danced with was indeed half a street behind her, not looking particularly happy.

_Damn it._

She immediately started to run. It might have been a coincidence, but she'd rather not risk killing the boy whilst fighting him off. Her mother would _definitely_ know she had skipped the party if a mysterious blond girl had murdered one of the locals.

And her gut proofed to be right. The lad did run after her, cursing. Nevertheless, he wasn't fast nor smart enough to get anywhere near her, so it wasn't before long that he appeared to be gone. Emma still checked from time to time to make sure and continued running to increase the distance between her and her pursuer. Swiftly she ran around a corner. Unfortunately she was looking over her shoulder while doing so and she saw the opening door just a second too late.

She ran into it face first.

The impact made her head spin and she could tell her balance was completely off. But instead of falling backwards -as she had expected- she was being pulled forwards by two strong arms.

"No need falling for me, lass. You will get hurt," quipped a man's voice. He sounded concerned though, and not like any of the boys she had danced with. His voice was deeper, and he had a beautiful accent. He also smelled nice, like the sea.

The stranger let go of her just a little, so she could look up to him. He was undeniably handsome, with mesmerizing eyes and a sexy stubble. The smirk on his face suggested he was well aware of that.

"Wasn't planning on it," she grunted, pushing him away so she could examine how bad she had hit her head. Carefully she let her fingers trace across her face. A sharp pain went to her head briefly when she touched a sore spot near her left temple. It nearly made her faint, but he was there to catch her once more.

"You sure about that?" he murmured, inspecting her with his eyes.

She smiled and took a small step backwards, not pushing his arms away this time, just in case. "Yes, quite sure."

The stranger feigned disappointment, but Emma just rolled her eyes at him, "Do you perchance know where there's a tavern around here?" she asked in a flat voice.

He laughed at that, slightly shaking his head. "Well, apparently it is fate I nearly smashed your head in."

"Why is that?" Emma scowled and stepped out of his arms.

"Fate hit you in the face with the front door of a tavern, love."

"Oh…"Emma looked at the tavern, surprised. The building they were standing in front of didn't look like a tavern. There was a lantern indicating the stranger was right, but she heard no laughter, nor did she see much light coming from behind the windows.

She gave the stranger a puzzled look, but he just laughed and offered her his arm. "First drink is on me."

Emma was indecisive for a moment. This obviously wasn't a normal tavern, and he was not a normal man. But she did like a little adventure from time to time, and her head really wanted her to sit down. So she eventually shrugged and took his arm. After all, what could possibly go wrong? The knife in her boot would be out in seconds if he tried anything.

Inside the tavern he quickly seated her at a table and went to get their drinks. The tavern and its visitors made Emma feel uneasy, but excited at the same time. Everybody around her was obviously dressed and armed for a fight, so it was not really a secret these men –for the only women in this place were serving girls and her- were up to no good. Most were talking to each other in low voices, and some were obviously eavesdropping. No one was wearing a mask though, so she decided to remove hers.

The stranger whistled when he came back. For a second she was worried it was because her nose was all messed up, but then she saw him grinning and she rolled her eyes at him. He was as much the scoundrel as anyone in this place, wearing only leather and a sword on his belt, but he was handsome already. His eyes a deep ocean blue she wanted to drown in. Or maybe give him matching bruises if he turned out to be an ass after all.

For now drinking with a gorgeous villain was much better than chatting with boring princes and princesses, so Emma stayed.

"A drink for the lady," he said, as he seated himself across the table, taking a good look at her before leaning closer. "You know, if you would like to do another type of falling for me, I wouldn't complain."

Emma raised an eyebrow in response. He just wiggled his and smirked. Although Emma found his game quite amusing, she wasn't planning on showing him. Instead she sighed theatrically and let herself fall back in her chair. "What's your name and what crimes will I find on your wanted poster?" she had tried her best to sound annoyed, and praised herself on the result.

He clearly hadn't expected a question like that and the corners of his mouth dropped for just a second, only to go right back up in a big grin. "Killian Jones, pirate captain, at your service…?" he let his voice drift away, raising his eyebrows to mark the question.

"Emma… Emma Swan," she said slowly, naming herself after the diner the two men next to them were eating, "kitchen maid in the castle."

"So miss Swan, tell me, why aren't you currently working in said kitchen?" he leaned forward again, challenging her.

"I think the cooks are asking themselves the same thing," she tried to take a gulp of her drink without breaking eye contact, but started coughing in the process and quickly pushed the glass away. Killian just laughed.

"Gods, what _is_ that?"

He laughed even harder. "Rum, darling. I told you," he pointed at his sword, "pirate." Then he just went ahead, draining his glass the way she had intended to do. It made Emma want to leave, but she couldn't get herself to walk away. That would mean the pirate had won, and Emma didn't like the thought of that one bit.

Instead she tried to turn the game around. "So mister Jones, now you tell _me_, why is a pirate so far away from the sea?" she leaned forward, mimicking him. Now she was so close to him, she could see the amusement in his eyes. He was really enjoying this.

"What is known to be the biggest motive for pirates?' his voice was low and soft. He moved a little closer. Emma could smell the sea on him.

"Gold," Emma told him not breaking eye contact, lowering her voice as well, "but just whom do you plan taking it from?"

He chuckled at that, but didn't change his tone, "wouldn't you like to know." His hand reached for hers, and Emma smiled at him softly. "Perhaps I would."

She could already imagine the conversations she would have with the biggest brat of the realm. Little Annabelle would boast over dancing with some prince, and Emma would tell her she had flirted with a handsome pirate in a very shady tavern. She would have a big bruise to prove her story. Maybe that would make Annabelle want to kiss a pirate, and her parents would obviously not let her do _that_.

_Hopefully she locks herself up in a tower for good, _Emma thought, just before she could feel the hot breath of pirate Killian Jones on her skin and it became _very_ hard to think anything. Her eyes were halfway closed, and their lips nearly touching, when she heard the bells announcing midnight.

She was in so much trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

"Damn it," she cursed as she pulled away and stood up. Killian looked at her bewildered for a moment, but then jumped up as well.

Emma was going to push him away and tell him to sit, but dark spots started dancing in front of her eyes and the room started spinning. It wasn't long before the ground got nearer and the world darker.

The first thing she saw was the sky. The stars were shining bright, and for a moment all Emma could do was stare at them. "Lets get you home safely, Swan," Killian murmured.

He was carrying her in his arms, something Emma didn't particularly liked.

So she shot him her sweetest smile and tried her best not to sound really frustrated when she told him to put her down.

Even though he must have heard her, he didn't reply and proceeded carrying her down the street.

Emma cleared her throat loudly, "Captain, I told you to put me down."

This time he raised an eyebrow, "now why would I do that if you can pass out every second? Might as well save the both of us some trouble and get you home." He looked puzzled for a moment, "where is your home?"

Emma sighed. Of course she had to meet the only pirate with moral standards. "Just put me down already and I'll get there." When he started to shake his head, she began to squirm in his arms, "damn you, Jones. Let go of me!" She had managed to get her feet on the ground, but his arms still held her around her waist, "I'm _not_ some damsel in distress!"

He seemed to think that was funny, "Of course not," he theatrically rolled his eyes and softly tapped her forehead, looking smug when Emma cringed at the contact, "You're a kitchen maid in distress, different thing entirely."

Emma grunted. Everything about him made Emma either want to smack him or kiss him. She just hadn't made up her mind on which one she'd prefer. "Fine. Walk with me for all I care. I'm going to the castle," she looked at him, partially hoping that he would back off at that. However, he did quite the opposite and moved in to pick her up again.

Emma hastily took a step backwards, "Oh no! When I say _with _me I mean _next_ to me." She turned around, walking in the direction of the castle. The pirate caught up soon enough and offered her his arm.

"Really?" she asked, not intending to take it.

"Really," he said, grinning lively, "or else I'll just walk two steps behind you. That way I can catch you when you fall _and_ I would have a great view!"

Emma took his arm then, but not before punching it half-heartedly. "_Stupid pirate_," she thought, "_and stupid me for liking him_."

They spent their time chatting about the village and surroundings. Killian seemed to dislike all of it. It wasn't close enough the sea, she supposed, not close enough to his home. Emma _did_ like the village, but she hated the surroundings. The queen and her daughter were very fond of gardening, so they had used every piece of nature as their personal garden. Everything was beautiful and symmetrical. Even the trees on the side of the road were placed exactly three paces apart. It was so organised Emma felt uncomfortable walking through it.

After a while something strange happened. Their conversation exposed a weird understanding between the two of them. Killian must have felt it too, for his face had turned serious all of a sudden, "Why did you jump up in the tavern, while we just were…" he smirked again and raised his eyebrows "getting to know each other."

The question woke Emma up a bit. She was going to have to deal with her parents later on and she hadn't thought of an excuse yet. "The bells rang; that meant masks off all around the kingdom,"

"Your mask was already off, lass," he scowled, obviously thinking she was making up an excuse.

"I could escape my duties because no one would know the person… " she feigned a yawn to gather her thoughts_, _"…the person bringing around food wasn't me. After masks off I am sure the cooks will notice someone walking around the kitchens they don't know."

"Ah, that's why," he grinned, "you could have told me so."

Emma was surprised at her own relief when she saw he believed her, "I was too startled," she said, a bit more confident about her words now, "and by the time I wanted to say something my head decided it had to be at the same height as my feet."

His arm softly pulled her a little closer to his side "so that's what that was," he laughed briefly, but his smile soon disappeared, "will you be in trouble for going to the village?"

Something between a sigh and a laugh escaped her mouth, "You have no idea."

"Will you lose your job?"

"No, worse." Emma couldn't help grinning, "They are going to make me keep it. Make me work more often and train me to be the absolute best in the profession."

He started laughing "the best kitchen maid in all the kingdoms. That _does_ sound like a horrible fate."

She laughed with him. He was good company; she could sense there was more to him than just the pirate thing. Only she couldn't help thinking the real reason he was walking her to the castle was because he was going there anyway. Gold was what he desired and there was plenty of that where they were going.

She was just about to ask him whether that was true when she saw riders coming towards them. Cursing softly she quickly walked to the garden, dragging Killian along a few steps before he planted his feet. Her arm was freed of his within a second and she dived behind a shrubbery.

She heard Killian sigh, "Would you mind explaining what you are doing behind the bloody plant, love?"

"Riders," she whispered, hoping her frustration would be audible. "If they find me here with you, any excuse I might come up with won't be very credible."

Killian just sighed again. Emma wanted to tell him not to be stupid and to hide, but she could hear the riders now, which probably meant they had seen him already. The only thing left to do was to stay perfectly still, waiting for them to stop near her hideout.

"Good evening gentleman," Killian greeted cheerfully, "a wonderful night for a ride!"

"Who are you? What are you doing in Her Majesty's gardens?" inquired one of the riders, far more hostile than Emma had expected.

"Well," the pirate still sounded all manners and smiles, "I'm ser Killian Jones, duke of The Pointy Rocks, knighted by the good queen herself." He paused for a while, probably waiting for a reaction he did not get, and then continued: "My horse was stolen when I got refreshment two villages back, and my two squires got themselves lost searching for it, so I was forced to walk out here alone."

"What's with the outfit?" a different rider snarled.

"Couldn't show up at a masquerade without a costume now, could I?"

The guards –Emma was pretty sure they were guards now- softly discussed something for a moment. One of them eventually cleared his throat, "apologies, ser, we would give you a horse, but we have a mission. It is less than ten minutes walking to the castle. Do you need us to send you an escort from the village?" Emma tried her best not to laugh. Killian wasn't even wearing a mask and they were buying it. She couldn't wait to tell Grumpy, he'd think that was funny as well.

"No apologies needed, mate, you are just doing your job. I think I will be good to go on my own. Your mission sounds important enough…" Killian's voice became more serious as he thought about guards being on a mission, "Apologies if I'm being rude, what _is _your mission?"

"Lost princess."

Emma's heart seemed to stop at those words. That their mission would include finding her wasn't a surprise. She just hadn't expected a guard to share information like that with a perfect stranger. It convinced her even more of the men's incompetence.

"That is terrible! On her birthday?" Killian was over-acting now, "I will _immediately_ leave you to offer my services to her parents." Emma was relieved when she heard he did try to walk away, but of course a witless guard had to ruin everything.

"That's very kind of you ser, but it's not princess Annabelle that's missing. It's princess Emma, wild thing from a different kingdom you see." The man was obviously not happy about his task.

Maybe Emma would have shown herself if one of the guards had shown a shred of intelligence. But now -even though she knew it was stupid- she'd rather have the satisfaction of them failing at their task.

"Well then," Killian sounded too cheery, "I won't delay you any longer. I wish you all luck in the world finding this _Emma_." The way he pronounced her name destroyed all her false hope on him being completely oblivious. Not much later her only hope on help was galloping away. _This was not good_. And part of that was her fault.

"Emma, love, you can come out now," he yelled like a child winning a game of hide and seek. She wanted to punch him in the face for it, but figured coming out to do so would not be wise. Instead she sneaked away on all fours.

Apparently Killian still hoped she would come out on her own, because he waited a while before he stepped into the garden himself, "come on princess, you don't stand a chance."

"_Oh no?" _Emma thought, "_watch me."_

She crept behind another shrubbery and took a moment to consider the situation. The garden was well lit by the moon and stars and it was too well maintained for her to find a place where he wouldn't find her. So she either had to run or fight. Then there was her head. She had to take it in account. Emma bit down on her lip hard. If she would try to knock him out and she'd miss, a weak punch to her left temple would get _her _unconscious. If she would jump up and run, she might faint as she had done in the tavern.

As she could hear him getting closer, she made up her mind and pulled her knife from her boot. When she thought he was close enough she stood up.

He smirked when he saw her, "Finally decided to quit, love?"

Emma just smiled back, waiting for the little black spots to leave her vision. When he stepped forward she swung a hand full of dirt at his eyes. This took him by surprise, and Emma made use of that. His sword was out of his hand in a second, and she pressed the knife against his throat, pushing him into a tree. "Now why would I do that, if I'm winning?"

Their faces were close again, just like half an hour ago. She could smell the sea on him. She could see his blue eyes, although all amusement had left him. And now she would either have to kill him or knock him out.

Killian laughed a humourless laugh at her hesitation, "Good form, love." He tilted his head, making their noses touch, "but not good enough." At that he quickly smashed his forehead onto hers.

Emma stumbled backwards, not feeling anything for a second. When that moment passed she knew she had lost. The pain was excruciating; she couldn't think properly, let alone fight off a pirate.

When his second blow knocked her out, she almost felt grateful.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I quickly want to say thank you for reading and reviewing! This was originally supposed to be the last chapter, so it moves a bit quickly, (I** _**will**_** write more chapters because I really enjoy writing this, just so you know ;)!)**

Emma wanted nothing more than to sleep just a little longer; the pillows around her were comfortable and she was having a nice dream about home. But something was telling her she was forgetting something very important, so she pushed herself up, eyes still closed. When she tried to rub her eyes her head started throbbing, making her groan.

"Wouldn't do that, lass," a voice said as a hand carefully pushed her back into the pillows.

For a moment she didn't fight him. Her body wanted to rest, and the bed was so soft… but then she recognized his voice. Her eyes flew open and she turned her head to the left. There he was, smiling, his hand still on her shoulder.

Emma was going to jump up to find a weapon, but something stopped her. The situation, the room she was in, it didn't make sense. This was her guest room. She was in the castle. The pirate was… was he wearing her father's clothes?

Emma took a sharp breath to partially calm herself down. "Explain," she demanded eventually. She figured he was the only person that could tell her the complete story, and if he lied she would just scream until someone came to throw him in a dungeon. Depending on his answer she would also do that if he told her the truth.

"Explain _what_ exactly?" there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Damn, they were even prettier in daylight. Not that Emma cared. At all.

"Why I am here and why on earth you are here, wearing," she gestured at his clothing, "_that_."

"This?" he softly tugged on the fabric, "This is just a little something your father lent me. Apparently we have about the same size." Emma swallowed to keep her jaw from dropping in disbelieve. "And you and I are here, because I'm a gentleman." He winked and moved closer, 'Told you I'd get you home."

Emma pushed him back, making him grin, "Please do tell me why my father would lend you his clothes?" she snapped. He didn't look like he was lying, but perhaps his definition of lending was different than hers.

"Because I saved your life of course."

"What?" she had to keep herself from screaming.

Killian chuckled, "When I brought you here I told your parents and everybody else a little story." Emma raised her eyebrows. "You see, I told them you and I had a little rendezvous in the village during the party, but I couldn't find you." He sulked a little, "Then I walked to the castle, and after I met those nice half-witted guards it wasn't long before I heard a scream..."

"And you ran through the garden to safe my life." Emma rolled her eyes, "Really? That's what you told them? And they believed you?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be a duke and even if they don't believe me, they will definitely believe you."

Emma gave him a pointed look. "So that's the real reason why you're here. To convince me to lie for you." she snorted, "It's not going to happen buddy." The only thing she was likely to do was locking him up for a very long time.

A mischievous smile appeared on his face "It is if you want them to forgive you. They were _very _moved by our story. A young duke and a princess in love, afraid her parents wouldn't approve… " he winked, infuriating Emma, "so you sneaked out to meet me. Everybody thought it was romantic. Even the king and queen seemed moved."

"Oh," he remembered before she could respond, "and whoever attacked you probably robbed some royals in the palace before or after. They are still figuring out when exactly." He looked like he thought that was funny.

Emma took a sharp breath, trying to control her anger. "Was this your plan all along?"

He shrugged. "The duke part was. Saving a princess was improvisation."

Emma stared at him. He should be arrested. He deserved to be in a dark dungeon with rats and fleas. She knew it was true, but she couldn't get herself to call for a guard. "Fine." She said, happy to see surprise in his features for just a second. "Tell me all about our relationship."

He story he had made up was quite good: They had met once in a pub, back in her kingdom. After they had shared a special kiss he had begged her to come meet him in the village, knowing they would be attending the same party. It sounded plausible after a few adaptations –Emma forbade him to use the words 'special kiss' ever again- and it was easy enough to remember all the details.

He was still there when her parents walked in. Both looked concerned, but whereas Snow looked lovingly at Emma, David was glancing suspiciously at Killian. Luckily the pirate understood his presence wasn't desired and he left, but not before kissing Emma lightly between the eyebrows. "See you in a while, love."

She smiled lightly and waved at him as he went through the door. Internally she was cursing him and at the same time she was considering how soft his lips had felt on her skin. The moment she noticed the latter she started cursing her thoughts as well.

Her parents sat down on the bed on either side of her. Her mom softly stroked the hair out of Emma's face. "He's handsome."

Emma nodded, but David frowned. At first Emma thought it was because of the 'handsome' remark, but she soon noticed his eyes were fixed on her forehead. If the bruise looked as bad as it felt frowning was not nearly the reaction it deserved. "What happened yesterday?" he asked.

Snow looked disapproving at her husband. Knowing her parents, they probably had agreed on a soft approach, but David hadn't been able to help himself as always. Emma didn't mind, she was more like her father in this department.

She told them the story Killian and Emma had agreed on: They weren't able to find each other and she had danced with a few young men in the village. One had followed her; she had fled into the garden, but not before he had smashed her head in with a big stick. Thanks to her injury she was disoriented and unable to find the castle for a long time. The boy had found her, she had screamed and Killian had rescued her. While Killian was fighting the boy she got hit a second time, and she had passed out. Emma hated that this story made her sound like a damsel in distress, but Killian had argued that since she looked like one, she might as well sound like one.

Snow seemed to be content with this explanation for now, but David obviously wasn't. Why hadn't she been able to defend herself? How did her attacker look like? Did she know his name? The questions kept coming and they made Emma really tired.

He was just about to ask another question, when Snow put a hand on his shoulder. "David, why don't you go tell everybody Emma is okay?"

Emma saw them staring at each other, having a discussing without words. Eventually her father stood up and softly squeezed his daughter's hand. "Get some rest."

Snow smiled at her husband before she looked back at Emma, "How are you?" she asked when David had left the room.

"Have been better," Emma sat up, "but I also have been worse."

Snow softly caressed her daughter's hand, "He stayed with you all night you know, this Killian. He's a good man, even though he is a pirate."

Emma sighed, relieved there was at least one person with common sense besides herself, "How did you know?"

A smile appeared on Snow's face, "No duke would come to a ball dressed like that. So I went looking for him after everything had calmed down a bit. I caught him pacing restlessly through your room. He was afraid something would happen to you if he left, so I told him I would let him be with you if he told me who he really was."

"You left me alone with a pirate." Emma's voice was flat; she hadn't expected her mother to do so.

Snow smiled, "Only because he was nearly pulling his hair out from worry. Her cares about you, Emma. He even stole extra blankets and pillows for you, because your hand felt cold."

That was… awfully sweet from the man who had knocked her out himself. _But_, she reminded herself, _he needed to speak to_ _me before anyone else did. He needed to tell me his plan. _

"Don't let dad kill him just yet," Emma yawned, "he did help me after all." _When he thought I was a kitchen maid._

"I won't." Snow stood up to leave the room, "Get some rest sweetheart. Do you want to go to dinner later?"

Emma nodded. Killian might be present and there was no way in hell she would let him tell everything on his own. Him saving her sounded stupid enough as it was.

Emma could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on her. She was late for dinner due to the problems her maids had covering up the big bruise above her left eyebrow. The same bruise caused everyone to stare at her even longer. Staring back at the servants wouldn't help, so Emma tried to focus on the people already sitting at the table. Her parents smiled, Philip and Aurora tried not to look shocked at the sight of her, and Annabelle was smirking without shame. Killian seemed to be the only one in the room _not_ looking at her, for which she was very grateful.

Emma curtsied as she apologized to the king and queen. When she turned to her chair she met Killian's gaze. Their eyes locked, prompting him to stand up. It surprised her his eyes were not flirty or mocking; they had the same friendliness in them as last night when she was Emma Swan the kitchen maid.

He softly kissed the back of her hand, murmuring something that sounded like 'milady'. Normally the gesture would have annoyed Emma, but the look in his eyes made her genuinely smile.

He only turned away to pull her chair back so she could sit. She was a bit confused. Could it be he actually cared about her? She remembered the connection she had felt the day before and let herself hope he did.

Sadly she wasn't given enough time to decide if his affections were sincere. Annabelle had jumped between Killian and his chair before he could seat himself next to Emma. "It was my birthday yesterday you know," she squeaked as she held out her hand. Killian kneeled and placed a kiss on it. "Happy birthday."

Annabelle giggled, but didn't move her hand, "I want two. Because Emma got one and it wasn't her birthday." The pirate smiled and gave her hand another kiss while everybody else in the room rolled their eyes. Or it was just Emma rolling her eyes so hard that she had a hallucination of other people rolling their eyes. The spoiled little princess had ruined the magical moment the way she ruined everything. By talking. Maybe Emma could convince Killian to kidnap Annabelle and give her to the mermaids. That ought to shut her up.

Annabelle seemed content and sat down, but not before asking Emma how she had met someone handsome that was actually into her. Emma put her nails in the seat of her chair and treated the question like a rhetorical one. However, Killian handled the situation differently: he grabbed Emma's hand and put it on the table, holding it there while he told about the pub.

During his story David was looking daggers at Killian, especially when 'the kiss' was brought up. The pirate didn't seemed to mind, and asked his 'mate' whether something was wrong with his eyes whenever he caught him staring.

As the first course was served and Killian had finished talking, Annabelle started chatting about her fabulous party. Her favorite topic was all the handsome men she had danced with. All of them were at least twice Annabelle's age, Emma noticed.

It took Annabelle five minutes to cover every aspect of the ball and switch to how amazing her future was going to be. Emma desperately tried to focus on her dish. Whenever they were alone the younger princess would _always_ talk about this: about her wedding, about her husband, about true love's kiss waking her up just like her mom.

"And my husband will be even more handsome than you Killian," Annabelle declared, "and you are very handsome. But you're too old for me and I will marry a prince, so I guess Emma can have you."

Without thinking Emma put her elbow on the table and leaned her head into her hand. She took a very audible, sharp breath to calm herself down. It was a stupid thing to do. When she looked up everybody was staring at her. Killian put a hand on her shoulder, softly squeezing it. The fact her father didn't seem to bother to give him a deadly glance for it spoke volumes. "Emma, are you okay?"

Although the option of telling him she would be if someone locked Annabelle up in a tower was tempting, she decided it would be wiser not to. "It's just my head. It hurts from time to time," she smiled "it will be fine."

Only Annabelle seemed satisfied with that answer, for all the adults kept staring. Eventually Killian stood up, offering Emma his hand. "Shall we get you some fresh air, love?" remembering the king and queen he quickly turned around, "only with your leave, of course." David started to look daggers at Killian again, but Philip nodded and Emma gratefully grabbed the pirate's hand.

When they walked into the garden Emma felt as comfortable as she had the day before. His arm felt warm against hers and he didn't force her to talk to him. He even helped her getting rid of the guards that were shadowing them. Emma just hoped this night wouldn't end in someone losing consciousness.

When she was sure there were no guards around Emma turned to look at Killian, "Thank you. I don't think I could have heard her say another word without throwing my plate at her head."

He shrugged, smiling, "It was nothing, really. I get why you skipped that ball last night,"

Emma sighed, "You have no idea how terrible all of this can be."

"So you do this… often?" Killian asked, grinning like the pirate he was.

Emma laughed. "You mean eating with fancy people? Actually, I have another six weeks of visiting other royals ahead of me." She bit her lip. "Of course none of them is as annoying as Annabelle, but part of me was disappointed to wake up in a castle this morning."

He raised his eyebrows. "You'd rather be abducted by pirates than home safely?"

"No. Of course not," she sighed, it had sounded stupid, "I am saying that I would rather be on a ship with you than doing my little royals tour." That sentence came out even worse than the other one.

"Well…" he stepped a little closer, "I could always take you with me when I leave." His smile was flirtatious again like it was last night. However, Emma suddenly didn't feel like flirting at all.

"Would you do that? Can you do that?" she tried not to sound desperate, but failed miserably.

He looked surprised for a second. "No, I can't," she could see he was searching an excuse not to. "You wouldn't be safe," he said eventually.

Emma suppressed the desire to roll her eyes, "And if you only take me home? I'll be plenty safe at home, most of my godfathers are there."

He considered that for a moment and licked his lips, "And what's in it for me?" his voice was low; every bit the flirtatious pirate. If he hoped he could change her mind this way, he was very wrong.

"The satisfaction of helping me." Emma smiled sweetly.

He looked at her the way he had before dinner. She was sure now. He cared. Emma caught his face with both her hands and pulled it closer to hers. "Lass, what are you…" he started, but her lips were on his before he could finish his sentence.

For a second Emma was afraid she had made the wrong call. He seemed unresponsive. But she soon felt one hand on her back and another one in her neck, pulling her closer. Before long his lips started to move under hers.

The moment that happened everything felt perfect. His smell, the way her fingers slid through his hair, his hand pressing on her back, and most of all his mouth on hers. Kissing him was all she could think of and all she wanted to do. But when their lips parted she had a second too long to think it over and she realized who she was kissing.

When Killian moved in for another kiss Emma pulled away. She couldn't. He was still the pirate that had knocked her out the day before.

Killian appeared to be affected, but he got his act together considerably fast. "We leave tomorrow at dawn," he sounded a bit hurt, confusing Emma. She should be glad; she got what she wanted after all. But why was she feeling guilty at the same time?


	4. Chapter 4 (1)

**AN: first of all thank you for reading and reviewing! Second of all I'm sorry updating took so long. This will be a shorter chapter than the previous ones, because I really wanted to update -and I sort of promised one on tumblr-, and the second part of this chapter still needs a lot editing, but it will be here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow! Hope you enjoy reading and let me know what you think by reviewing if you want!**

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Emma watched the moon sink behind the hill. It wouldn't be long before the first beams of sunlight would appear, and she would have to leave. Everything was packed for the journey: clothes for approximately a week, some coins and a dagger. She would leave a note behind for her parents, stating she would see them when they came home from their visits to the various kingdoms.

For someone that was about to escape the life she hated, even if it was for a few weeks, she wasn't feeling as ecstatic as she should. Instead she was feeling weird. Every time she closed her eyes she pictured kissing the pirate again, followed by the memory of the hurt she briefly spotted in his eyes. Why did she care? He had stolen from her friends –even though her mother had Grumpy steal it all back- he had smashed a door against her head, he had lied... and he had kissed her in a way that made her head spin in a good way for a change. She could have forgotten about everything else except if he wouldn't have kissed her back like that. But that was her fault, right?

As the sky was slowly turning purple she still wasn't sure whether she should go or not. Killian had made his way to his boat the night before, and she would need to sneak out with the servants that left to get supplies in the village. It wouldn't be long before she would be on a ship with Killian Jones, pirate Captain...

She was about to unpack her satchel and go back to bed when she heard shouting from a few windows over. "What is this?" … "NO. I SAID RASPBERRIES" … " I'm NOT going to eat your stupid strawberries. My mom is the queen, you know." Emma rolled her eyes and put on a simple grey cloak. Pirates it was.

It took Emma three tours through the castle to get rid of the guards. Apparently nobody wished for Emma leaving the castle again, and they had three guards stalking her. The first two she had lost by jumping from one balcony onto another. Unfortunately the third had jumped after her. He must have been a special guard, for he was wearing a green plume on his helmet, whereas all the other guards had a yellow one.

By the time she got rid of him it was too late to leave with the servants. It didn't really matter; the guards at the gate would be checking everyone anyway. Princess on the loose probably was a rumor that spread quickly, so her best chance was storming through the gate on a horse.

Once in the stables she sneaked past the sleeping stable boy, praying he wouldn't wake up. He was snoring loudly, so she would know when he did. She was just done with saddling up a brown mare when she heard a door being smashed open. The stable boy stopped snoring, and yelled something between 'hey' en 'aaah', which probably didn't mean a kitten just walked into the stables.

Softly cursing Emma put the reigns in place and threw her leg across the back of the mare. The mare reacted to Emma's heels pushing into her flanks and left her little stable. Emma could see the guard with the green plume standing next to the stable boy, his back turned to her until the boy shrieked. The guard tried to block the door then, but Emma was gone before he could reach it. Swiftly the mare galloped across the courtyard, towards the gate. People were yelling all around now, but it didn't matter. Within seconds she was out of the castle. Free at last.

The only thing she had to do now was hope that Killian hadn't already left. Even though a part of her was hoping she wouldn't have to look into his eyes again. He confused her so much, because his behavior didn't match his profession. She had expected him to kidnap her, but he hadn't. She had expected him to try to kiss her, but she had kissed him instead. She had expected some innuendo after she had kissed him, but he had walked her to her room and he had kissed her hand to wish her a good night. He seemed to be a gentleman rather than a pirate, but did the latter really exclude the former?

A second pair of galloping hooves pulled Emma out of her thoughts. _That quickly?_ After her somewhat dramatic exit she had expected a pursuit, but she had figured it would take the guards ages to saddle up. Because of their armor they should also be slower, giving Emma enough time to jump aboard Killian's ship and be gone.

She looked over her shoulder, and, to her surprise, a guard with a green plume was following her on a white horse. He was still quite far, but he appeared to be without saddle or reigns. _He must really love his job._ Emma wasn't quite sure whether she should be impressed or annoyed by his perseverance. It didn't really matter. For now she just had to be quicker and smarter than the guard –which, judging by his colleagues shouldn't be hard- and she would never see him and his green plume again.

She reached the village where she had met Killian two nights ago, and let her mare circle around it. The road to the harbor was straight so her pursuit could see where she was heading. Instead she chose a road into the forest. There was a turn that would make her disappear for a moment, giving her time to circle back to the road to the harbor through the trees. The vegetation seemed dense enough for it to go unnoticed.

Muttering some curses at the branches that pulled at her hair and cloak she executed her plan. The mare didn't seem to mind, and she slowly carried Emma out of the forest. Once on road again Emma patted the neck of the mare. She was going home, and no one was going to stop her.


	5. Chapter 4 (2)

**AN: (apologies first:) I'm really sorry for updating this late. I got really busy out of nowhere and when I had time again my inspiration was nowhere to be found. I really appreciate all of you for reading this, and I am terribly sorry I fail in updating often. I'll try to work something out, so I do update more frequently! **

**This chapter will be quite short and not very eventful, for it is the second part of the former. There is not much action, but I'll try to incorporate later on. **

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The sun was still low when Emma reached the harbor. She enjoyed breathing in the salty air as she led her mare through the little town. A strange fear found its way to her heart when she realized that he could have just left last night, without her. But he wouldn't do that, would he?

She quickly dismissed the thought and dismounted. It had never been her intention to steel from the royal family, so she gave the mare to what looked like a navy officer, telling him she had found her walking around the woods. Luckily her appearance supported her story; the officer had laughed and had pulled a leaf from her hair.

It wasn't a long walk to the docks. The sight of the sea made Emma happy for a brief moment, but when she had actually inspected all ships her hopes were crushed. All ships were either small fishermen's boats or navy vessels. No pirate ship with black sails. No Killian Jones.

She had turned around to walk away, when her heart made a small jump. Next to one of the ships was a man wearing a long black leather coat and she could tell it most definitely belonged to the man with eyes as blue as the sea behind him.

Emma thoughtlessly walked over to him, failing to notice there were two men standing next to him. It was not until Killian raised his eyebrows in warning that she noticed the man opposite him. He was wearing a guard's costume with a helmet. That helmet had a green plume on top of it. Guard number three. Damned guard number three.

She turned around to walk away, but a cold, mailed hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "Not so fast."

Emma turned to look at a somewhat nervous Killian, a pale sailor that was tugging the fabric of his tunic like his life depended on it, and guard number three, who still had his visor down. "Hey beautiful," Killian murmured, but Emma rolled her eyes and engaged in a stare-off with the guard.

"Would you be so kind to let me go?" Emma smiled and turned when there came no reaction, but the guard just pulled her back. "Guess that's a no…" she muttered, making Killian chuckle.

The guard put his visor up and gave Emma a stern look, "The only place you're going is the castle, milady."

Emma smiled, "Luckily we can agree on that! I was just going to the castle." The guard was anything but amused, which was a shame for he was quite handsome. Emma scowled, mimicking his facial expression, "so will you let me go now?"

The guard hesitantly let go of her shoulder. He shot a quick look at Killian and at the other sailor, before offering Emma his arm instead. She ignored it, hoping he would just go away, and turned to face Killian. "Where to, Captain?"

The pirate was opening his mouth, but the guard beat him to it, "to the castle."

Emma bit the inside of her cheek and rolled her eyes. She didn't turn around though, and when Killian saw she wasn't about to, he offered her his arm as well. "This way milady."

Emma couldn't help grinning as she looped her arm through his. Her thoughts would have dwelled on how awkward –and amazing- it felt to walk like this, just like last night. Only her thoughts were pre-occupied by the sound of metal boots on wood.

"This is not the way to the castle," the guard remarked, as they approached one of the ships Emma had thought was a navy vessel. He was going to grab her by the arm, but Emma anticipated it this time. She freed herself from Killian's arm and spun around, facing the guard.

"No it is, only not to _your_ castle." She shot him a smile; "The sweet duke is bringing me home, to _my_ castle, which I have, because I'm a princess." She hated using being a princess as an excuse to get things -it made her feel like Annabelle- but she hoped the guard would be sensitive for her authority and leave. He didn't.

It seemed like he tried to stop himself from chuckling as he pointed a finger at Killian. "If he's a duke, I'm the Dark One."

Emma felt a bit uneasy, but Killian just laughed. He also put an arm around Emma's waist, pulling her behind him, making Emma feel even more uncomfortable. "Well, mate," he said, taking a step forward, "seems like you're the only smart man with a helmet in here. Wouldn't want to hit the helmet from your head… or your head from your shoulders."

It took Emma a moment to realize why he was threatening the guard and infiltrating his personal space at the same time. Killian's sword wouldn't be a match for the guard's armour, nor his long sword. But then she saw the men aboard his ship. Every single one of them had a weapon on his person. The guard wouldn't stand a chance if he pulled out his shiny sword. She only wasn't so sure if he realized that for he stayed exactly where he was.

"The girl leaves with me." He growled.

"That will be problematic. The girl leaves with me, too," Killian laughed.

Emma rolled her eyes and walked aboard Killian's ship. "You can continue standing there, staring at each other, the girl is going home."

The guard shot her a look that wasn't particularly friendly. Killian on the other hand turned around to show the smirk on his face, before he went up to stand next to her.

The smirk faltered when he noticed the guard followed Killian aboard.

"If you are leaving, so am I." The man in mail was obviously not amused, but he seemed determined.

Emma took a sharp breath. "I'm not two years old. I don't need you to protect me. Go home, do something fun for a change." She mockingly raised an eyebrow, "Unless you run after princesses for fun. In that case do something not fun."

The guard walked past her, making Killian's crew reach for their weapons, but their captain dismissed them with a quick gesture of his hand.

"Alright then," he said with a sigh, "if you give us your sword you can stay."

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**AN2: Next up will be Emma and Killian talking about Killian's past. **


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